Metabolic profiling of ethephon-treated sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.)

Abstract

Increasing costs and decreasing labor availability for sweet cherry harvest in Washington State, USA, has reinvigorated commercial and research interest of mechanized harvest. Ethephon (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid) can be used to improve fruit abscission for mechanical harvest. Our previous work shows that 3.5 l ha -1 ethephon enhances red color and reduces firmness of the cultivar 'Bing'. In the current study, we used metabolic profiling of cultivars 'Bing', Chelan', and 'Skeena' fruit meso and exocarp tissue to better understand underlying quality-related metabolism associated with ethephon application. Trees were treated using air-blast sprayer 13-14 days prior to harvest and fruit samples were harvested every 7-10 days starting at least 17 days prior to commercial harvest. Nearly 200 identified and partially characterized metabolites from mesocarp and exocarp tissue were characterized and evaluated. Principal component analysis models revealed changes in the metabolome associated with both natural ripening and ethephoninduced changes, including associations to key color, acid, and sugar components, such as cyanidin 3-glucoside, malic acid and sugar metabolism.

De-novo RNA Sequencing and Metabolite Profiling to Identify Genes Involved in Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Korean Black Raspberry (Rubus coreanus Miquel)

“…In this regard, transcriptomics and metabolomics together provide a unique dissection tool for the better understanding of a biological system due to their ability to follow a relatively large number of genes and compounds. So far, metabolite profiling has been successfully used for analyzing metabolic networks during fruit ripening of various plant species, including strawberry [13] , [14] , tomato [15] , [16] , peach [17] , blueberry [18] , sweet cherry [19] and grape [20] . In case of berries and grapes, the accumulation of anthocyanins contributes to quality characteristics expected from a ripe fruit.…”

Research Progress and Trends in Metabolomics of Fruit Trees

“…In ethephon-treated sweet cherries, fruit ripening and ethylenerelated metabolites, such as malate and monosaccharides, have changed (Smith et al, 2011). The development of metabolomics has made it possible to identify the active components of special fruit trees with medicinal value.…”

Breeding Climate-Resilient Bananas

“…AMF colonization is beneficial for many aspects of grapevine physiology. Mycorrhizae increase P concentration in grapevine roots and leaves (Schreiner 2005), enhance N uptake both under inorganic and organic forms (Smith et al 2011), may alleviate limestone chlorosis deficiency (Bavaresco and Fogher 1996) and affect the uptake of other nutrients. In addition, AMF is known to improve plant tolerance to abiotic stress as water deficit or salinity.…”

“…Ferrovia. Another study (Smith et al 2011) evaluated the metabolic changes in primary and secondary metabolic pathways during ripening of sweet cherry fruit treated with ethephon, while Hayaloglu and Demir (2015) investigated the anthocyanin, phenolic and volatile compositions and sensory characteristics of sweet cherry cultivars.…”